zoos

Watch this delightful video of a baby elephant, does he not remind you of a child of two or so chasing birds falling over and running to his mother for comfort. Elephants are amazing creatures, highly intelligent animals who form close family bonds. It is a tragedy that their very existence is under threat.

Can you imagine a world without elephants? Doesn’t bear thinking about.

Below are actions you can take and information about this remarkable species killed for the sake of profit.The trade in ivory is so prolific that elephants are now being born without tusksas though evolution is trying to step in to save elephants from the human threat to their existence. A threat that will be realised within the next decade if we do not act now to stop the slaughter of these iconic animals.

Petition

Help shut down the biggest ivory markets in the world by signing the following petition:

Hong Kong: End ivory, not elephants!

“The biggest ivory bust in decades just happened in Hong Kong. 1000 elephants were murdered for one shipment(!), only to end up as little trinkets on people’s bookshelves!

Hong Kong is like ivory island — home to a booming trade in their butchered body parts. As long as it’s legal, more and more beautiful elephants will be slaughtered. At this rate, they could literally be wiped out in our lifetime. “

“We’re about to wipe elephants from the face of the Earth. It’s so bad, some are now being born without tusks — an astonishing last throw of the evolutionary dice to survive human cruelty.

But for the first time ever China, the world’s biggest ivory importer, has announced it’s banning ivory. Now, if enough of us demand it, we can get Europe, the world’s biggest ivory exporter, to follow suit!”

The are 10,000 Zoos worldwide housing an estimated one million invertebrates. Please boycott zoos, zoos are not the place for wild animals.

Reasons to save elephants.

The most import reason we should save elephants from extinction is that elephants, like all animals, are thinking feeling sentient beings and like all animals, including humans, do not want to die. Elephants like all creatures wish to live their lives free of suffering at the hands of human beings.They are a part of nature, it is their world too and they have a right to be here.

Some facts and other information about these incredible animals.

Elephants are very intelligent. Did you know that they can identify different languages

“Researchers at the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK have discovered that African elephants can distinguish differences in human gender, age, and ethnicity purely by the sound of someone’s voice.”

Elephants can use tools

“In 2010, a 7-year-old Asian elephant named Kandula impressed researchers by utilizing tools from his surroundings to reach fruit that had been strategically placed just beyond his reach.”

Elephants are empahtic

Elephants also mourn their dead and have incredible memories:

“Elephants can remember routes to watering holes over incredibly long stretches of time and space. This is necessary for elephants that live in the desert where water is scarce. “

The plight of elephants and indeed other wild animals confined and exploited in zoos is so sad and unnecessary. Worldwide there are approximately 15,000 to 20,000 elephants held captive, mostly for entertainment in zoos and circuses. These animals live miserable lives, often alone like Mali the elephant who holds her tail for comfort, like Mali many are abused and neglected without proper medical care and attention. Without exception all wish to be free as nature intended.

Below there are a number of actions you can take to help captive elephants, please take as many of these actions as you can.

Firstly please sign and share the following petitions to help at least two elephants confined in zoos who lead lonely miserable lives:

SHE IS SO LONELY, SHE HOLDS HER TAIL FOR COMFORT. PLEASE HELP MALI THE LONELIEST ELEPHANT IN THE WORLD.

Lonely Mali was stolen from her close-knit loving family in Sri Lanka while she was still nursing. For almost 40 YEARS Mali has been confined to a barren concrete enclosure and denied the company of other elephants, which is essential to her emotional and mental well being.

The Melha Shrine Circus made a very smart, progressive, and humane decision in 2016 to remove animals from their circus, but unfortunately they have decided to bring elephants and tigers back this year.

Elephants have been held in captivity for more than 4,000 years beginning in the Indus Valley. Since that time elephants have been take from their natural environment and trained, used as labour and exploited as entertainment in zoos and circuses.

“Around the world there exist between 15,000-20,000 captive elephants and the circumstances for most of them are abysmal.”

You can read more about the history of their captivity and their use and abuse by clicking the link below:

You might also like to sign the elephant charter, open to signatures of Friends of Elephants, which is members of the public who care about elephants, Elephant biologists who are scientists whose profession involves or has involved the study of elephants and “Elephant Professionals who are individuals whose profession involves or has involved the care, medical treatment, protection, conservation, legal defense of elephants, advocacy for elephants or education about elephants.”

Please sign and share the following two petitions from Care 2 and Change org to persuade Mr Boswell of Boswell circus who owns the Natal Zoo (South Africa) to send Opal the 36 year old lonely Orangutan to a sanctuary.

Care 2 petition

Opal the Orangutan has spent 36 lonely years in her cage. Help her get to a sanctuary!

“Mr Boswell of Boswell circus owns the Natal Zoo (South Africa), just outside Pietermaritzburg. There the public, for a fee, can see a variety of caged animals.

As an Inspector at the Kloof and Highway SPCA, I have been involved in assessing the well-being of the caged animals in this zoo. This task never fails to wrench my emotions, leaving me desperate to find some refuge for them, which would allow far better quality of life. At the very least, a semblance of nature.

Opal is the most heart-wrenching of all. She is a 36 year old orangutan. As a species, they rank among the most intelligent of all primates. Adapted to an incredible variety of stimulating, challenging & changing elements in their treetop jungle homes. As mothers they are utterly devoted parents, the young staying with them for about ten years , learning the joys & dangers of their maze of branches, leaves & fruits. What to eat, what to avoid. How to build a nest each night, how to make a leaf umbrella for the almost daily rain. Above all, they have the gentle, constant companionship of a mother, friend, teacher & playmate. All of this – until they are old, & experienced enough to go off into the world for an adult life of equal variety.”

“We plead with Mr Boswell to release her to Monkeyworld in the UK- they wait for her with open arms. She will be cared for by teams of experts in the field of socialising apes which have lived lives of isolated misery.”

Opal’s story is heartbreaking. She belongs in a sanctuary with others of her species even if she has trouble integrating with other orangutans. A sanctuary will be a better environment where she can be cared for and not exposed to people who come and stare at her. Animals are not here for our entertainment. Ideally she should be in the wild, but a sanctuary is the next best thing for her with a caring environment where hopefully in time she can find some companionship. For social animals such as Orangutans, isolation is a terrible torment.

Please watch the video. This is an outrageous crime against animals taken from their mothers to eventually live miserable lives in China, exploited as entertainment in a country known for its animal abuse – scroll down to watch a video which shows you the life that an elephant is likely to live in a Chinese zoo.

HELP SAVE THE KIDNAPPED BABY ELEPHANTS IN ZIMBABWE!

Published on Dec 7, 2014

Multiple reports say at least 34 baby elephants have been forcibly torn from their mothers in Zimbabwe and are about to be sent out of the troubled country. One report says they are headed to China. Another report says they are headed to the United Arab Emirates. Outrage is growing. But, it’s not enough. You help is desperately needed. After being tipped off by the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival JaneUnChained teamed up with Peace4Animals and Social Compassion in Legislation. Activists from TheirTurn.net and Friends of Animals also joined us as we sought answers from all 3 governments mentioned as part of this controversy. Watch the video and then tweet up a storm. #ZimbabweElephants

Please read the following and sign the petition to tell the US consulates for Zimbabwe, China and UAE that you want this deal stopped and the animals rehabilitated and released.

Just days ago, Zimbabwe’s government admitted to capturing about 36 baby elephants from the wild in order to sell them and ship them overseas. Reports now say there could also be seven lion cubs and ten sable antelopes in that group. The young animals –between 2.5 and 5 years old — are being held in wooden pens in Hwange National Park, after being separated from their families and captured.

Elephants are heavily reliant on their mothers until they are about 5 years of age. They live in very social societies and disruptions of this kind can lead to early death for these young animals. One of the elephants has already died.

Reports say the animals will be shipped to the UAE with the final destination of China.

In November, four elephant calves were caught from the wild, removed from their mothers and family group and exported from Zimbabwe to China. These elephant babies were sent to two zoos in China, Taiyuan Zoo in northern China and Xinjiang Safari Park in north-west China.

Sadly one baby has already died at Taiyuan Zoo, and the surviving male calf is very sick. The photos and video footage we have seen are very distressing; this baby is physically sick and given his condition and environment, suffering psychological distress

Concerns are growing for baby elephants snatched from the wild in Africa then flown to Chinese zoos after one died and footage seen by the RSPCA shows another very sick.

While the export of elephants from Zimbabwe is not illegal under international trade laws, experts believe these animals are suffering greatly from the conditions in the zoos, the stress of such long transportation and the fact they have been torn away from their mothers and social groups at such a young age.

It is believed that Zimbabwe is planning to send more young elephants to China in the coming months, and even more thought to be ‘on order’ from zoos around the world.

Want to do more?
Please contact the Zimbabwe Minister of the Environment – please read the following from Peace 4 Animals facebook page and take the suggested actions

“I am deeply saddened to learn that 36 baby elephants have been brutally taken from their mothers and are currently awaiting shipment to the UAE and possibly China. We need your help and voices to protect these babies and to stop this shipment of wildlife cargo.

Please contact the Zimbabwe Minister of the Environment, Saviour Kasukuwere and ask that he release these majestic endangered animals at once. You can tweet him at @Hon_Kasukuwere or contact him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kasukuwere and #ZimbabweElephants

Just when you think that you have heard it all concerning human greed and the resulting exploitation that impacts on animals you learn of yet another example of people who will do just about anything for money. And when it comes to governments who not only condone such activities but actually participate in them you have to wonder where or if ever it will all end … Most likely with the extinction of elephants and other wild animals. Such is the case of the government of Zimbabwe which has taken baby elephants, lion cubs and antelopes from their mothers to sell to the highest bidder. Not only is this a crime that threatens wild animals with extinction but it is also about the wretched and miserable lives these poor creatures will lead. China as we know has an appalling record of animal abuse. These poor babies were torn from their mothers to live lives of suffering for the sake of greed and entertainment and it has to stop.